My evil grandparents died, a year apart. My grandfather's will is a tied up mess, but each of us grandchildren got a nice monetary present from grandma. The vast bulk goes to my mother and aunt, and the two of them deserve it for putting up with the soul-destroying damage they suffered from their parents. Anyway, after a life-time of not wanting anything from my grandparents, I discovered I was quite happy to take their money. I went and blew $500 on opera CDs, choosing operas by my favourite singers and composers, half that I haven't heard before. Lakme is a new favorite. The rest of the money is going into a deep green share trust that does extremely well against the general market. I'm hoping that by the time I'm dead, it's worth donating to the course I graduated from.

I thought hard about the most effective place to donate money. Education in a poor nation is probably the answer. But I know how life changing, mind altering and mind opening that particular course is. And if it makes comparatively "wealthy" people open their eyes and see their own culture, and all other people in brand new ways, then I'm hoping this has a meaningful knock on effect. That they will be wiser with their votes and their money and their actions, and influence other "wealthy" Australians in a positive way, for being the people they are who were shaped by that course.

Yeah, It would be good if someone can recommend a charity where the money isn't lost on the way to the Africans it is intended for. Maybe it's a task I can stick with my executer? Meh. What if I don't trust my executer to be good at that?

OH HEY! You are 20 years younger than me, and have relevant training! I could name YOU as my executor on my next will!!!

They clear minefields to re-open farmland. They also sniff out tuberculosis in spit samples.

That's horrible! Sending rats scurrying across minefields to get blown up, and exposing them to TB? PETA needs to hear about this!

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publiusvarus wrote:

we all know liberals are well adjusted american citizens who only want what's best for society. While conservatives are evil money grubbing scum who only want to sh*t on the little man and rob the world of its resources.

It seems rather pointless for you to get premium. Even batcoins would be more useful.

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Theophany wrote:YOU'RE AN ELITIST @#%^ AETHIEN, NO WONDER YOU HAVE NO FRIENDS AND PEOPLE HATE YOU. someproteinguy wrote:Aethien you take more terrible pictures than a Japanese tourist. Astarin wrote:One day, Maz, you'll learn not to click on anything Aeth links.

The rats are too small to trip the landmines. Considering they cost $700 to train, it'd be a waste of money to let them be blown up every time they found a mine.

That's actually one of the reasons the rats are used instead of dogs. The rats are native to Gambia so they're used to the hotter climates where they work (unlike dogs which would easily overheat.) The rats are too light to trip the landmines - they'd have to use smaller dog breeds to get the same effect, instead of choosing breeds with superior sniffers like big dogs. Finally, a dog would take a year to fully train, but a ratty can be trained up in three to six months.

And they work for peanuts (and bananas.)

The model that they use with the ratties is all about helping the local economy in a double attack - the rat handlers are all locals who are trained (so they get jobs), and the result of clearing out the minefields means that land can be used for farming again (meaning less reliance on outside food aid.)

I think they got ranked #11 in NGOs around the world a year or two ago.

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FFXI: Catwho on Bismarck: Retired December 2014

Thayos wrote:

I can't understand anyone who skips the cutscenes of a Final Fantasy game. That's like going to Texas and not getting barbecue.